A Tale of Two Candidates: Coakley the Elitist vs. Brown the Populist

The joke in Massachusetts is that Martha Coakley is afraid to shake hands with ordinary people. Today, the Boston Globe is reporting that Coakley does not have the time to meet with voters. Instead, she is rallying party bosses to do her dirty work.

Coakley has become defensive about the elitist label being stuck to her. When asked about her avoidance of average voters, the Boston Globe reported the following exchange with Coakley:

Coakley bristles at the suggestion that, with so little time left, in an election with such high stakes, she is being too passive.

“As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands?’’ she fires back, in an apparent reference to a Brown online video of him doing just that.

Last Sunday, another event exposed the difference between the two campaigns. The New England Patriots played a playoff game in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The crowd was huge, as expected, and overwhelmingly working class.

Scott Brown was there. He worked the crowd, shook hands and received the endorsement of two former Patriots and some local sports radio hosts. Brown’s whip fast team made a web ad. Football fans may recognize Fred Smerlas and Steve DeOssie:

Martha Coakley? She missed the game, probably the single biggest public event of the campaign season. Coakley’s big event event that day was a fundraiser that Coakley missed. The Berkshire Eagle reports the following exchange with event organizer, Nora O’Brien:

O’Brien said she was told by several male Democrats that scheduling the fundraiser for Sunday afternoon during a playoff appearance by the New England Patriots would probably deflate attendance. O’Brien admitted, however, that she isn’t a football fan.

“I said ‘Who are they?’ ” she said, referring to the team that lost its playoff game to the Baltimore Ravens.

Who are the Patriots? Ignorance or snark, its that type of disconnect with average voters that is sinking the Coakley campaign. That Coakley event netted $1,500.00. The event organizers called it a success. The next day, Scott Brown’s money bomb raised $1,300,000.00.

Understand the panic now? Scott Brown has put in the sweat equity and now he is reaping the rewards. Martha Coakley has taken the voters for granted and she is paying the price.